I'm considering a progressive press. For the life of me I cannot figure why I would need more than a 3 station progressive press. You guys that load fired cases in and get loaded ones out, what do you do about the case lube? Do you just skip case prep?

It seems to me that you would want to clean the lube in the middle of the process, so I would run a 3 station press:
1)deprime
2)lube (rifle) or size (pistol)
3)size (rifle) or expand (pistol)
then tumble to clean lube, hand clean primer pockets, measure for length and trim, etc, then:
1)prime
2)charge
3)seat bullet (and lightly crimp for belled pistol cases, heavy crimp is another story I know)

How do you guys run yours...???

The one true reason for a progressive press is PRODUCTION.

The machine is set up (and intended) to take empty cases and process them through all the required steps to a fully-loaded condition, and to do it all in a "progressive" sequence.... meaning, all stations are occupied, all the time, with cases at various points in the cycle.

I've used a Dillon 550B for well over a decade now, and have run a test or two to see how the ammo coming off the Dillon compared to the ol' Rockchucker's output. Long story short, there was NO DIFFERENCE IN GROUPING from a very accurate varminter, when using ammo from the Rockchucker in a side-by-side comparison against the Dillon's output.

I did NOT do anything with the Dillon-made ammo, except load it in true progessive fashion. NO primer-pocket cleaning, NO powder weighing, or anything else which would stop the continual flow of cases to the loaded state. On the Rockchucker, every pocket was cleaned and uniformed, all the cases were carefully trimmed to a precise length, all the charges were weighed individually....and it made NO DIFFERENCE when 100 rounds from each press were fired in alternate groups during a one-day marathon.

WHY would you want to stop in the middle to clean cases??? There's plenty of time to clean the cartridges after they're loaded. Put each case in the press, and run it through until it's loaded! Why buy a capable machine and then handcuff it by pretending it's a single-station press?

The progressive is built around the principle of saving time by minimizing the handling of cases. The more times the case is handled, the more actual time is spent per round.

The progressive is really quite an awkward machine to use as you describe. You may be better off to use a turret press, or stay with a single. I still have my Rockchucker and a Lyman All-American turret press bolted to my bench, and they both are extremely useful for many tasks. The Dillon usually gets the "big-batch" business, when I want to load several hundred rounds or more at a sitting. The turret is capable of about 150-200 rounds per hour, so it's not "slow", exactly..

Loading for my M1A (7.62 NATO/.308) on the 550B, for example, I usually have several hundred clean cases in a bin, already spray-lubed and ready to go. Station 1 sizes, deprimes, and reprimes...then the case goes to the powder measure at Stn 2. If loading jacketed bullets, Station 3 seats the bullet, and Station 4 crimps the round (if desired). I load a lot of cast bullets in rifle ammo, and in that case Station 3 flares the casemouth, and Station 4 seats the bullet. For handgun loads, Station 3 seats, and Station 4 crimps.

NO BREAKS! No pocket cleaning, no lube removal, no powder weighing...nothing but simple, fast production and lots of good ammunition.

Once the production run is over, I carefully wipe each round clean, inspect it, and if it's intended for an autoloading rifle or handgun, I test EVERY ROUND in a cartridge gauge. It's cheap insurance, and great for one's peace of mind.

Works for me....

At the Raahauges Shooting Sports Fair I asked the pro pistol shooters what they loaded with each said Dillons and a visit to Scottsdale I was told 97% of the competition shooters load with Dillons.I started with a RL450 and upgraded to a RL550B.

quote:

Originally posted by CDH:
I'm considering a progressive press. For the life of me I cannot figure why I would need more than a 3 station progressive press. You guys that load fired cases in and get loaded ones out, what do you do about the case lube? Do you just skip case prep?

It seems to me that you would want to clean the lube in the middle of the process, so I would run a 3 station press:
1)deprime
2)lube (rifle) or size (pistol)
3)size (rifle) or expand (pistol)
then tumble to clean lube, hand clean primer pockets, measure for length and trim, etc, then:
1)prime
2)charge
3)seat bullet (and lightly crimp for belled pistol cases, heavy crimp is another story I know)

How do you guys run yours...???

Occasionally I've lubed and run the cases thru a single stage press that deprimes and resizes all at once.

I then clean cases and do all the case prep work and then tumble the cases and I'm ready to go back to the progressive .....but then I asked my self....why am I doing this?.....Why did I buy a progressive to do this?

So now I trim my cases back .03 the day I buy them so I never have to do case prep again for the life of the cases.....if they need it I toss them!!!

Now, after the initial case prep to new cases I use a spray lube sparingly as I use a carbide die to resize...it takes very little lube this way.

1 size and deprime
2 re prime
3 drop powder
4 seat bullet
kick out loaded round

quote:

I cannot figure why I would need more than a 3 station progressive press.

There are numerous reasons.....maybe you wish to add a special crimp die.....maybe you wish to add a powder check die.....maybe there's something else you wish to do.....

Personally I like five full working stations in a progressive.....even if one is left completely empty.

It's been so long since I
ve worked any of my seven progressives that I can't remember which has which.....but the Dillon has the minimum of stations I'd accect.

I believe the Hornady L&LAP has one more.

Dillon, hands down. Fast, easy, and a fail safe company back up and assistance program.

Another Dillon fan here.

The only problems I can see with progressive loading is when brass needs to be trimmed.
( bottleneck rifle cartridges lengthen slightly when resized )
When you don't need to trim ( pretty much all pistol rounds ) just dump clean brass in the case feed and load away.
You can get around the trimming thing by resizing and trimming first , then load away on the progressive.


Travis F.

why you need more than 3 stations: #1 size & deprime, #2 prime and powder fill, #3 powder check, #4 bullet seat, #5 taper crimp. In other words a dillion 650 w/ case feed etc.

DILLON 650B, as long as money isn't a real issue.

I have two dillon 450's, upgraded to 550 except for frames. One is set up to load large primers, the other small primers.

When reloading for 45 ACP or other pistols, using carbide dies, start w/clean brass: #1 decap, size, prime; #2 bell neck & throw powder charge; #3 seat and crimp bullet.

Tumbled rifle cartridges are de-capped by hand and trimmed, using a Lee case length gauge/trimmer. This is the type where case is held in a shell holder chucked in drill and the case length stem goes thru flash hole to measure distance from base of case to the cutter. I carefully trim the length of this stem to cut case a "tad" shorter so that the trimmed case, when sized, is the desired length.
I find it easier to trim each fired case than to measure and trim only those that need trimming.

Next, the trimmed cases are lubed and then sized/primed in sta. #1; #2 charged; #3 seat bullet. I do not crimp anything other than the 375 h&h and that is loaded on single stage press. After batch is run, I clean lube from loaded ammo and inspect.

As has been stated, can't beat the Dillons, both in function and customer service.

Regards,
hm

i have a dillion 550 that is set up for pistols only. most pistol cases will crack before needing trimming. if you wanted to use a dillion for rifel, personnally i would check the overall lenght before i start to reload them and have 2 containers. 1 container for reloadable and the other for cassws that need trimming. just my opinion

I've also got a couple of 550Bs, small & large primer. I use them just for pistol, but I could see loading bulk .223 or .308 ammo on one, just leave the 4the station empty.
Pistol cases are loaded on carbide dies so no lube. For rifle case, I would lube, load then wipe them off after.

The best I have found to get maximum efficiency out of a dillon is to use a spray lube. There are enough of them out there right now, I've had good experience with both hornady and lyman. I suppose you could also do it with a tin of imperial wax where you picked up some on your fingers while grabbing a case, but I like the sprays.

For trimming I use a lyman trimmer and will run the whole lot of brass through, does not tae that much time in the grand scheme of things.

quote:

Originally posted by Mark:
The best I have found to get maximum efficiency out of a dillon is to use a spray lube. There are enough of them out there right now, I've had good experience with both hornady and lyman. I suppose you could also do it with a tin of imperial wax where you picked up some on your fingers while grabbing a case, but I like the sprays.

For trimming I use a lyman trimmer and will run the whole lot of brass through, does not tae that much time in the grand scheme of things.

Another good spray lube is RCBS case slick. It is completly primer/powder safe, so you don't need to worry about it getting inside the necks,(in fact you WANT some in there).

Here's my dillon 650 set up for .223;







I check case length, if not out of specs, they get thrown in a bowl, sprayed with case slick. Then into the case feeder. First station sizes/deprimes, second seats primer/charges powder. I use the Hornady case-activated powder die with the hornady measure, with wc-844 powder. third station is empty, forth has the powder sensor, fith seats the bullet.

I tumble the loaded ammo for about 10-15 minutes in bare corn cob media to remove the lube.

My bushy AR-15 shoots groups that are good or better than single stage loaded rounds. How fast? You HAVE to count the time taken from when you sit down to start, to when you get up with a number of loaded rounds. Rates with the dillon have been quoted as 4-500/hr. BS! Only IF you count the actual handle pulling time! Loading primer feeder tubes, powder, opening boxes of bullets, sorting/measuring brass, case prep, trimming chamfering---all have to be taken into account! Is it faster than single stroke? By leaps and bounds! A loading session a month ago netted me 700 rounds of 60 grain v-max .223 in 3 hours! Yes I have 7 primer tube fillers and that many empties!